Special nomination for research project in the field of flat film extrusion
KV has received a special honour with its research project ‘Increasing productivity and flat film quality by preventing film build-up on chill rollers’: It was nominated as a finalist for the IGF Project of the Year 2025. Even though the title ultimately went to another project in the field of battery research, the nomination is a great recognition of IKV’s research achievements and emphasises the relevance of the project for the plastics industry.
The nominated project focuses on optimizing flat film extrusion by preventing the formation of deposits on chill rollers. Film build-up is a well-known problem in film extrusion, as it impairs the surface quality of the film and leads to production interruptions. To counteract this, IKV has developed an innovative roller cleaning system that is combined with an optical inspection system.
Video about the “Roller coating formation” project
Innovative inspection system for process optimization
The system, which for the first time reliably records and quantifies roller coverings during the ongoing production process, was developed by Daniel Grüber during his time as a research assistant at IKV. A central element is a high-resolution line scan camera that detects changes in gloss on the roller surface and thus enables the early detection of deposits. The camera is integrated into a laboratory smoothing unit and works with a Python-based algorithm that combines individual images to create an overall image of the roller surface. By comparing the gray values between areas with and without deposits, the formation of deposits is quantified and an optimum cleaning time is determined.
Grüber also investigated the influence of melt and roller temperature on coating formation as part of the project. The results provide valuable approaches for process optimization in industrial practice.
Recognition for innovative research
The nomination as a finalist for the IGF project of the year 2025 underlines the innovative strength of IKV and the industrial relevance of the research results. “We are delighted that our work has been recognized. The nomination shows that our approach to reducing coating formation in extrusion makes an important contribution to increasing efficiency in plastics processing,” says Dr. Lisa Leuchtenberger, Head of Extrusion and Rubber Technology.
IKV will continue to drive forward research in this area in order to transfer the knowledge gained into industrial applications and enable sustainable improvements in film extrusion.
The IGF project 21297 N was funded from 2019 to 2022 by the AiF on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.